


Candlelight in the Dead of Winter's Night

by Verida



Category: A3! (Video Game)
Genre: 10 Candles, Alternate Universe - Tabletop Gaming, Angst and Feels, But Slightly Graphic Descriptions, But Tabletop Characters Die, Character Study, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Eventual Fluff, Flashbacks, Gen, Hope vs. Despair, Memories, Mild Language, No real violence, Not Really Character Death, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Sad with a Happy Ending, The rating will make sense I promise, Tragic Horror, burning paper, other characters not mentioned in tags
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-01
Updated: 2020-12-01
Packaged: 2021-03-10 03:07:41
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,986
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27596629
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Verida/pseuds/Verida
Summary: What happens when you take 6 adults (who also happen to be theatre nerds who do tragic plays) and you have them play a tragic horror roleplaying game?There's only one absolute truth in this game: There will be no survivors by the end.But this is much a story about light and hope as much as much as it is tragic. Are you willing to see it through?
Relationships: Arisugawa Homare & Guy & Mikage Hisoka & Takatoo Tasuku & Tsukioka Tsumugi & Yukishiro Azuma
Kudos: 8





	Candlelight in the Dead of Winter's Night

**Author's Note:**

> All block quotes are quotes taken by the official game rulebook: "10 Candles: A Storytelling Game of Tragic Horror" written by the game's creator, Stephen Dewey.
> 
> Also, not all questions are going to be answered, either. This is intentional. I'm excited to see what your thoughts are in the comments!

Tsumugi entered into his bedroom to see Tasuku reading a script in his bed and a small-medium sized package on his coffee table. "I'm back," he said. "What's with the box?"

Tasuku glanced up to Tsumugi for a moment before turning his attention to the box. "It was already on the table when I came in. Apparently it's for you."

Surprised, he goes over to the box and sure enough, it was addressed to him. The modern style that the characters were written, plus the recent invitations from him makes it fairly obvious who the recipient would be, but he opened the box anyways. Surely enough, there was a binder with some number of pages plus some other things. 

\---

_Hey Tsumugi._

_I found this roleplaying game from overseas that looks like fun from what the translation says. I'd offer to run it, but I got a late night work crunch and game marathon this week.  
_ _Try it out with the Winter Troupe sometime. You guys might enjoy it and it's not hard to run or play, even for inexperienced board gamers (Actually, the more inexperienced, the better, the book says).  
_ _Let me know how it goes. I might run it with the rest of Spring if it's received well._

_Itaru Chigasaki_

_P.S, I gave you both types, but careful if you're using the real ones. You don't want to make Sakyo-san mad._

_\---_

Tsumugi blinked in sudden confusion with the postscript and looked down to the box again. A binder that was labelled "10 Candles Rulebook", a pile of six-sided dice (with six white ones in comparison to the rest of the black dice), a stack of notecards, and 20 tea-sized candles, ten electronic and ten wax ones for burning. Tasuku looks down from his bed to see the items and then asks, "Can you show the letter?" to which Tsumugi raises the paper up so Tasuku can reach it. Tsumugi then turns back to the box as he takes the binder and opens it up to the first page.

"Honestly, it does sound like it would be a nice experience for Winter Troupe to bond together and if it's a roleplaying game, then it would help us with our acting, too," Tsumugi says.  
"I guess that means that you're going to lead it?" Tasuku drops his hand down with the note, to which Tsumugi takes the note again.  
"Oh, I was thinking that we could ask the others to--" Tsumugi stops as he reads the first few pages.  
"What got you so silent?"

Tsumugi lowered the binder to Tasuku’s range and pointed to the first paragraph. "According to the handbook, apparently this game is about telling the stories that no one wants to tell, but need to be told," he says and hands Tasuku the binder. "The concept is definitely interesting, considering that it's a tragic horror."

Tasuku then reads one page, then another. And another. After a small chuckle from Tsumugi four pages later, he closes the binder and places it on the coffee table. "I'll just leave it here for you, then," he said, which makes his childhood friend laugh this time around.

"If you want to read it together, we can definitely pull an all-nighter and learn this."  
"Will you take the role of the gamemaster, then? I think you’re good enough to be the main storyteller."  
After a bit of consideration, Tsumugi gives a smile. "I might not be as great a storyteller as Tsuzuru-kun, but I can try my best."  
Tasuku then nods and then sits down next to him while Tsumugi catches up to where Tasuku went. This one section in particular caught his eye.

> _"Ten Candles uses a time mechanic to progress gameplay. Ten tealight candles provide the light (preferably, the only light) the game is played by."  
> _ _"Even if the players do not fail a single conflict, in time the candles will darken on their own. The end always comes, one way or another."_
> 
> _-Rulebook, page 8_

Seeing these words, Tasuku glances over. "What is it?"

"Keep the details of our session a troupe secret from the others."  
Tasuku burrowed his eyes a bit. "Why a secret?"  
Tsumugi's smile spreads a little as he picks up a wax candle from the box.  
"I would like to use these candles, if all possible."  
Tasuku slowly exchanges Tsumugi's smile. "There's only one place and time when we can do it, then."  
Tsumugi nods. "Let's talk about it tomorrow with the others." He then places the candle and binder back in the box. "Well, good night, then."   
"Night."

Climbing up to their beds, they close their eyes for another night.

But, in the midst of their excitement, they forgot to turn off the lights. So after reading the entire first section of the book and adding sticky notes to the book (plus their own), they then turn off the lights at 2 in the morning. Thespians...

**9 scenes remain.**

These things are true. In good and bad times, they have each other.  
It is the next morning.  
Once Tsumugi and Tasuku wake up, they go to the practice room.  
The other Winter Troupe members are at the practice room already.  
Tsumugi and Tasuku are tired from reading the one section yesterday.  
Someone also knows what 10 Candles is, but it's in a very vague manner.  
Guy was helping Citron yesterday and was talking about some weird candle game that he found with Itaru. It sounded more like an occult ritual than a game, though, so he didn't pay much mind to it before.  
During practice, Tsumugi and Tasuku will talk about the game. It brings reactions to the entire troupe, with varying degrees of success.  
And they're holding strong.

* * *

The next morning, Tsumugi met up with Tasuku and went to the practice room. The rest of the Winter Troupe was already there chatting, though it doesn't seem like the director's there yet. After exchanging their good mornings, Azuma gives a bit of a chuckle.

"From the looks of your eyes, it seems that you've been up late last night. Did something happen?"

Tsumugi gives an embarrassed smile as he rubs his eyes. "Nothing too special, but we got a package from Itaru-kun. Apparently it's for this roleplaying game from overseas called 10 Candles."

"...Never heard of it," Hisoka says. He's still a sleepy Hisoka, what else did you expect?

Guy looks up in surprise. "I remember Citronia talking to me about this candle game when he was talking to Chigasaki about it while playing video games," Guy says as he stands up from his stretching position. "In the way that he phrased it, however, it almost sounded like a ritual, so I was quite weary."

"Ahh, a circle of ten candles together as we all chant and play our roles in the sacrificial altar..." Homare revels, a great smile coming to his face. "I believe that this could make for a spectacular poem, indeed!"

"Not in the morning, Arisugawa," Tasuku grumbles and approaches the doorway, scanning the outside area before closing the door. He then looks to Tsumugi. "We're clear," he says.

"I don't see why we need to be discreet," Azuma says. "It sounds innocent enough as it is."

"I'll explain that," Tsumugi says. "For now, let's start stretching and we'll explain it as we go."

As they stretch, Tsumugi and Tasuku explain the deal about burning real candles and a bit of what they learned from that first section.

"So we create our characters using notecards, and then as our characters encounter conflicts, we roll dice and try to succeed," Azuma comments as he does leg stretches.

"...And a candle goes out if we don't pass the conflict?" Guy asks as he pantomimes with Tasuku.

"That's right," Tasuku says.

"Hisoka-kun, up! This is no time to be sleeping," Homare then gets a marshmallow and hands it over to Hisoka, to which he eats it.  
"Sounds complicated and tragic," Hisoka says.  
"But does it not sound beautiful in a tragic sense?" Homare asks as he stands Hisoka up. "The ephemerality of embers, emanating light in darkness during darkest moments! How They cry out when They roam, bringing memento mori to being!"  
"...Maybe They would be quieter than Arisu."

"Alright, you two. Settle down now," Tsumugi says, finishing up his stretches.

"Your reasoning for the location and time makes sense," Azuma nods as he stands up. "Plus, we wouldn't need to worry about an accident happening or someone walking in on us." 

Tsumugi nods. "And that's why, if you're all able, try to keep this as secret as possible from the others," he asks, to which they all nod in agreement as the door opens up. Everyone slightly jumped in their place until they relaxed at the sight of their director.

"Good morning, guys!" Izumi said as she enters the room. Seeing how they all look slightly out of it, as if they were snapped out of character, Izumi becomes apologetic. "Oh, sorry, guys. Were you doing something?"

"No, we just finished our meeting and our stretches," Tsumugi says. "Does that sound good with all of you?" he asks the others with a knowing smile, to which they all agree in their own mysterious way, leaving poor Izumi more confused.

Rehearsal continued on until evening. At its closing, Izumi smiles. "It looks like you guys are doing well for now. Your show isn't until a few months, so we have time to develop the play. Tomorrow's your day off, so I hope you get rested up," she grins. Tsumugi gives a smile of his own and says, "If it's okay, do you think we can stay behind for a few minutes? There's something I want to discuss with the troupe."

Izumi gives a curious look, but nods. "Sure thing, but don't stay for too long, okay?" she says before she closes the door.

The troupe then arranged the date and the time for tomorrow. On the balcony, once everyone is asleep. No objections from anyone.

Well, almost. Hisoka's asleep. Pity. Homare fishes one more marshmallow and gives it to Hisoka, who goes to eat it. 

"Would that time work for you tomorrow, Hisoka-kun?" Tsumugi asks Hisoka once he wakes up.

"...Yeah," Hisoka says. Then his eye becomes a little more sharper. "But there's one thing."  
Hisoka then looks up to Tsumugi, almost as if he wants to confirm something.  
"Don't make it too tragic."

Tsumugi is taken aback by this statement, but it's a legit worry. And yet...it feels like he might get himself carried away, with how all the ideas are circling around in his head. Instead, he settles with, "I'm not sure if I can do that to the fullest, Hisoka-kun, but I'll do my best."

~~_Tsumugi has activated "Insecure."_ ~~

"Yeah, that's fair, considering it's a tragic horror," Tasuku says as the others start leaving, with Homare giving pats to Hisoka's back and promising that he'll read his poetry to Hisoka to help him go to sleep.

And yet, Tsumugi can't help but feel that he made Hisoka uncomfortable. With an uncertain glance, he looks back to Hisoka, but a bit too late as he has gone out of his view. Sighing, he turns off the light in the room and closes the door.

**8 scenes remain.**

These things are true. In good and bad times, they have each other.  
They arrive at the balcony at the agreed time.  
No one else in the company noticed their plans or anything out of place.  
Hisoka is apprehensive, but he will trust that Tsumugi wouldn't want to hurt them on purpose.  
Azuma was about to offer to bring drinks while playing the game, but decided against it.  
Tasuku will be one who sits next to Tsumugi on his left.  
Homare is very excited about this game. It's honestly surprising how invested he is in this.  
And they're holding strong.


End file.
